In a stringed instrument it is often desirable to change the pitch of sound produced by a vibrating string while the string is vibrating. This effect may be accomplished by sliding fingers or a steel bar down the string by stretching a string along a fret and perpendicular to the neck or by changing the tension on the string while it is vibrating. One method of changing the pitch of sound produced by a vibrating string is by placing a lever mechanism on or in a stringed instrument that is connected to the strings for facilitating the operation of changing the tension in one or more strings.
However, typical methods of changing the pitch of sound produced by a vibrating string either require great dexterity by a user or extensive modification to the guitar. Further, a lever mechanism as described above is installed on a stringed instrument, modification to the mechanism to change the desired change in pitch in a different string requires the replacement of multiple components of the mechanism and stringed instrument. Additional modifications may be required to compensate for a different type of string being adjusted. A thicker or thinner gauge string may require a different amount of adjustment to produce a desired change in the pitch of the string.
What is needed, therefore, is a pitch changer capable of being readily moved between one or more strings of the stringed instrument without requiring the replacement of multiple components of the stringed instrument. Additionally, a pitch changer is needed that is capable of being adjusted to compensate for different strings on which the pitch is desired to be adjusted.